New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-04
TO KILL THE CHIEF JUSTICE.
THE CONTRIvANCE GETS DISARRANGED
IN THE POST OFFICE.
RECEIVED By JUSTICE WAITE WHILE AT DINNER
TIE SENDER SEEN BY A NEWSPAPER MANA
GLASS TUBE WITH BLACK LIQUID, ATLAS
POWDER AND PERCUSSION CAP
TIE CHIEF JUSTICE THIyKsT

TIE CHIEF JUSTICE THIyKsIr
HoAX-IS 1T FROM
AN ANARCHIST
WAsHINGToN Nov. 3-An at tempt was made to
night either to kill or MAIN Chief Justice Waite of
the United States Supreme Court, or to pcrpetrate
silly hoax
About $50 O'clock n small box was sent to his
house through the special delivery postal service.
lt was pasteboard box about ten inches by SIX.
looking something like a valentine box and was
addressed in small, cramped and apparently dis
guised back-hand writing as follows:
To The Hen. Chief-Justce WAITE,
Ne l,4l5 Ist., n. w.,
Washington d. c.
Near the bottom were the words, " Important
papers," underscored. The thing enclosed was a
glass tube about ten inches long aud of the
diameter of lead pencil. The tube was bent at
an angle OF about sixty degrees and fastened
to the box by of small pieces of heavy paper
pasted over it. The tube for most of its length
contained jet black liquid but about
one and half inches from the end was
percussion cap separating the fluid from little
more than an inch of coarse powder apparently
what is known Atlas powder At the
other end of the powder was another
percussion cap and to this was attached
the wire which was apparently intended to
explode the tube This wire was joined to small
rubber band fastened to one side OF the box and
another wire ran from he rubber to "hook and
eye" which was held in place by a piece of paper
pasted over IT,
If the machine is really what il seems to be, the
raising of the nd would have exploded it. Before
II reached the Justices house, however the box
was stamped on one side by post-ofice enpl0ye
and the force with which the blow struck in
stamping caused the wire to slip through the
"hook and eye" thus scvering the connection.
There are circumstances which lead To a suspicion
that the whole thing is hoax. The person through
whom the matter was brought to the attention of
the police is young man who sells items to news
paper correspondents and who is not by many re-
garded as m.tworthy. His name is withheld at
the request OF the police, to whom he told subsau-
italy the following story:
About O'Clock he went to the post Office to
mail II letter, and going to one of the desks to ad-
dress IL he noticed "A man putting the address OF
Chief Justice Waite on box. He says he Thought
nothing of II at the time and therefore did not OBJ
the man closely enough 20 be able 10 identity
him When ON the street, however. the thought
came 10 him that there was something su
plcious abou, II, inasmuch "a the Chief Justice I'd
on Wednesday delivered the opinion denying a
writ Of error TO the condemned ChcagD Anarchists.
lie thcreupon wenl 10 the nome Of the Chief JUS
tlce and nqnIrci Of him # he haI received box.
The Cnicf Justice said he hal not. and the young
man then went t. tho post oiise and asc'r-
tanned that the box had been delivered n $3.50
O'Clock. He next Informed tho correspondents OF
The ChicoJO H.bsRc and The Cincinnati tonimtrciat-
Gd.ette of the matter and offered TO sell them a
story about II. The correspondents desired To
make further investigation aud went to the
po Icc station and told the story to Detective
Sergeant lloIlanbcrpcf, who immediately called
on the Chief Justice. who then acknowledged
receiving the box and gave it to the Sergeant.
The Chef Justice said he had received the box
whle at dinner and lad opened 1t without being
harmed, the wire which was To have exploded 1t
having been detached rs already stated. MIR.
WaItc did not attach any importance To the box
and said hc thought it a sensational hoax.
The Sergeant took the box 20 Police llcadqu,r-
ters. where II Is n0w held a. evidence.
Sergeant IIoanbcrgcr SAID he had no cew 10 the
sender of the box and thar the young man Va. un-
able give any DESCRIPTION Of the man whom 20 had
...,, al 4 lrasstnU If h,4for. tu1llIup Il